What is Supply Chain Management and the role of the Supply Chain Manager?

Robert Handfield Director of SCRC, Bank of America and University Distinguished Professor of Supply Chain Management believes that the concept of Supply Chain Management is based on two ideas:

"The first is that practically every product that reaches an end user represents the cumulative effort of multiple organizations. These organizations are referred to collectively as the supply chain. 

The second idea is that while supply chains have existed for a long time, most organizations have only paid attention to what was happening within their “four walls.” Few businesses understood, much less managed, the entire chain of activities that ultimately delivered products to the final customer. The result was disjointed and often ineffective supply chains.
Supply Chain management, then, is the active management of supply chain activities to maximize customer value and achieve a sustainable competitive advantage. It represents a conscious effort by the supply chain firms to develop and run supply chains in the most effective & efficient ways possible. Supply chain activities cover everything from product development, sourcing, production, and logistics, as well as the information systems needed to coordinate these activities.
The organizations that make up the supply chain are “linked” together through physical flows and information flows. Physical flows involve the transformation, movement, and storage of goods and materials. They are the most visible piece of the supply chain. But just as important are information flows. Information flows allow the various supply chain partners to coordinate their long-term plans, and to control the day-to-day flow of goods and material up and down the supply chain."

If we simplify this further, Supply Chain Management could be deemed to include all the activities that must take place to get the right product into the right consumer’s hands in the right quantity and at the right time – from raw materials extraction to consumer purchase.
Supply Chain Management focuses on planning and forecasting, purchasing, product assembly, moving, storage, distribution, sales and customer service. Throughout this chain of events, a company may control and effect all the elements of a supply chain once the finished good has been manufactured or purchased, or they may wish to outsource bespoke activities to specialist organisations. Third party logistics providers specialise in the storage, picking and transportation of goods either to a B2B client (e.g. from a textile manufacturer to a retailer) or direct to consumer (e.g. from a warehouse to a customer's home or office).
Some companies choose to outsource their entire logistics operations to a third party whilst others prefer to run certain key operations themselves and only outsource a specific component to a specialist organisation.

What is the role of a Supply Chain Manager?

Having already considered what the key elements of Supply Chain Management are, it follows that an appointed Supply Chain Manager within a given business effectively leads a broad variety of areas within the Supply Chain function. 

Indeed, the Supply Chain Manager can have a tremendous impact on the overall success of an organisation. Every company that specialises in the manufacture and/or delivery of a physical product to an end client would like to do this in the most cost effective way possible whilst meeting the customer's requirements. Running a "Lean" Supply Chain successfully requires the Supply Chain Manager to be "the glue" and successfully navigate stakeholder relationships around a business to determine what products are required and when to meet the customer's demand. 

By effectively engaging with the sales force and the end customers (and through technological enabled visibility), the Supply Chain Manager is able to monitor product flows and collaboratively respond to potential delivery problems.

Of course this is a straight forward way of looking at Supply Chain Management and the larger the organisation, the greater the scope of the Supply Chain and hence more complexity may arise, especially when Supply Chain Management takes on a regional or global dynamic.

Supply Chain Management can be a really rewarding career path offering the opportunity to work with most departments within an organisation to drive efficiencies and ensure the business operates profitably whilst limiting it's exposure to working capital. Tangible results are highly satisfying and a Supply Chain Manager enjoys having a major impact over the ability of the business to meet the customer's expectations, thus increasing sales and reduce operating costs. 

Salary Negotiations

Salary negotiations

This article is predominantly focussed on the critical part of the journey towards being offered and accepting your next role. You will however, be able to leverage some of the tips below when negotiating at salary review time.

No matter how comfortable an individual may be with negotiating a successful deal at work, or buying a new car, the thought of negotiating their own salary either during an employment selection process or at salary review time can be a cause for considerable concern. You are most likely presented with one opportunity, during which you state your position and attempt to achieve the best possible outcome. If things go perfectly your expectations will be met (or even better, exceeded) or in the worst case scenario the prospective employer finds your demands to be unreasonable and negotiations break down irreversibly.

Here we explore the methods behind ensuring the negotiation process gets the right result:

What are you worth?

This is very important to establish prior to applying for your next role. How does your current level of remuneration compare to what is currently happening in the market for similar role profiles and levels of experience? Explore salary checkers, speak to recruitment consultants and harness the power of our network where possible to find out what similar level roles are currently paying.

Seek out relevant opportunities

Now that you are clear about what your expectations are (financially) for your next role, the search is on to uncover opportunities that meet your requirements. Of course you will be clear in your own mind about these ‘parameters’, however if you are engaging with specialist recruitment consultants it is imperative that you outline your expectations early on in the process. Assuming the recruiter understands your aspirations and the types of roles and organisations that could be an optimum fit, a benchmark level of remuneration expectations will ensure you are contacted regarding positions on the right pay scale.

If you have sourced an opportunity yourself through your network or have applied to a position directly with an employer then it is likely that the employer will be keen to establish your expectations prior to inviting you for an interview. Key points to remember:

·         Try to avoid discussing salary until you have a job offer. It is certainly important to understand what the role is paying so get the employer to disclose the remuneration details before you do.

·         When pushed to disclose your salary, focus on expectations and even then you should try and counter that with a question to uncover the client’s desired pay scale for the position.

·         Be clear on all the elements of your desired package – if you expect health care, gym membership, shares and stock options then tell the employer. If they are not offered by the employer then they will have to be compensated in a different way.  

·         If the word ‘package’ is mentioned by the employer, ensure you have a clear breakdown of the fixed level components i.e. Base salary, car allowance, superannuation, health care, annual leave loading etc. You may discover that a significant portion of the package is made up of a highly geared bonus that is indexed around overall company performance.

·         Establishing rapport with the employer from the point of first contact will make the experience more enjoyable for both parties.

The interview process

The steps above outline the setting the tone for the ‘face to face’ parts of the selection process. Let’s consider that both you and the employer have established that there are now grounds to meet in person. It goes without saying that in order to secure an exciting opportunity and a pay rise you will need to sell yourself to the best of our ability during an interview. Instead, let’s focus on a couple of key points to remember for when those interviews take place:

·         Be consistent – if you are asked to confirm your salary expectations during an interview then this MUST be in-line with what you have previously communicated throughout the process. It doesn’t look good when your expectations suddenly increase from one stage to the next without a really valid and well thought-out reason. 

·         Don’t become irritated if the employer asks to re-confirm your salary expectations. There could be new stakeholders involved in the process who have genuinely not been provided with this information.

·         You may, when prompted, outline your involvement in other interview processes and at what stage of proceedings these currently stand. This will provide the employer with a clearer view of which candidates they are potentially at risk of losing from the interview process. Avoid being too aggressive by outlining this at the start of an interview. Sell yourself and ultimately win over the client before broaching the issue.

Congratulations – you’ve been made an offer!

Most employment offers are made after the final interview has taken place and the necessary background checks and testing has been completed. If you find yourself being offered a job during the final interview, try not to get caught up in the experience by being too impulsive and accepting on the spot. Be courteous and polite, thank them for the offer and communicate you will be keen to review the offer in writing and digest the entire situation.

When you have received the written offer letter/contract through:

·         Consider all aspects of the offer – both monetary and non-monetary. This is especially important for opportunities whereby you may be relocating or if you are considering moving into the NFP or public sector. Write down all the pros and cons associated with the role and company, and furthermore work/life balance, commuting distance and costs, industry sector, professional development etc. Each aspect requires a weighting based on your own values.

·         Take your time – you have demonstrated throughout the process why you are the best candidate for the role, now take the weekend or a couple of days to make the right decision.

What if the offer doesn’t meet your expectations?

It could well be that the sum total of the package on offer falls short of what you were expecting. Avoid any emotional reflex of calling to discuss the offer if you are particularly angry or feel hard done by. Reflect, and analyse the components that are potentially missing and write a list of possible options that could make up the shortfall.

If the offer was made via a recruitment agent then it is important they understand your exact positioning in this regard. The conditions towards which the offer will be accepted should be crystal clear, and you should obtain an understanding of what elements are non-negotiable.   

When receiving an offer via an employer that you deem unsatisfactory, try to arrange a face to face meeting. You should already have developed significant rapport during the interview process and this demonstrates your commitment to driving a successful outcome. If this is not an option then decide on the best form of communication. Stay positive and reinforce your enthusiasm for the role and company throughout.

Once you have arrived at a point that signifies ‘the final offer’ when all negotiations have been completed, it’s decision time!

If you are happy to accept the offer, request the contract through to double check on everything that was agreed.

Conversely, if the final offer still falls short of expectations then decline gracefully and thank the employer for their time and investment in the process. You never know if further down the track a more senior opportunity may come up that meets all your requirements!

 

Knowing when is the right time to move jobs.....

Here is an interesting article from the people at Supply Chain Quarterly on making the "should I stay or should I go" career decision.....

http://www.supplychainquarterly.com/columns/20121217-should-i-stay-or-should-i-go/

5 Supply Chain Predictions For 2013

Great article from Forbes (published on Supply Chain Management) regarding the trends in how supply chains will evolve and be driven forward during 2013.

5 Supply Chain Predictions For 2013 - Article from Supply Chain Management Review

How can I increase my chances of landing my dream job in 2013?

OK - we have explored social media platforms and how you can really harness their power to make them work for you........ next is my honest advice from a recruitment consultant perspective having managed the career search of hundreds of candidates in the supply chain space.

The harsh reality is that you really need to invest some time in the following areas in order to maximise your chances of being approached about or finding that dream supply chain job...........

First things first.... update your resume! Do not leave resume writing until the last minute... tailoring the resume towards a specific application is fine, however large scale creative writing at short notice doesn't usually get the best results. Get your main achievements and responsibilities down on paper and quantify them wherever possible as this adds a great deal of credibility.

Next, meet with a handful of select recruiters in your space. I would recommend no more than 4-5 since you will then start to notice consultants calling you about the same opportunities and it becomes harder to manage. Build the rapport and ensure that the recruiter knows exactly what you are looking for... more importantly, make sure the recruiter knows their space! They will then be working hard in the background to keep you updated on the best opportunities.

Next up is your Linkedin profile.... if you haven't updated it in a few months then think about adding your newly acquired skills or significant achievements. Try to envisage what keywords someone would be searching on to land the best candidate for your ideal role - make sure all these key words feature in your profile. More specific to supply chain, an example would be to think about specific ERP systems you have worked with and any continuous improvement or project management methodologies you have become experienced (and accredited) in. Attach yourself to a number of relevant networking groups to increase the visibility of your profile and start to follow the businesses that interest you the most. Most people are tentative towards putting their ideas out to the world straight away, so maybe ease yourself into things by sharing interesting articles and providing a brief comment on your thoughts. 

Finally, register for e-mail job alerts on specific job boards and make them work for you. I can guarantee from experience, if you put in the effort front end... you will be able to relax and go about your corporate and personal life without having to devote a significant amount of time every week towards managing your own career search. If you require any further advice, feel free to make contact with any specific questions you may have.

Linkedin for the Supply Chain job seeker

Coming from a supply chain recruitement perspective, Linkedin is a very important way to keep in touch with the local (as well as interstate and international) supply chain community.

Whenever I meet a new candidate who asks "what are the key things I need to do in order to tap into the supply chain job network?".... the answer is one which is vastly different to 5 years ago due to the advent of social media, and also the mobile optimisation of most of the leading job boards and recruitment websites. Print media has lost significant market share with regards to job advertising and there are infinitely more online opportunities to network with industry influencers. Having a complete Linkedin profile and a solid network is really important for the passive candidate who simply doesn't have the time to scour the internet for job opportunities, but would still like to be updated when interesting opportunities arise that may fit their own aspirations. This article provides a head hunter's perspective on effective Linkedin strategies to harness the power of the network and make it work for you.....


http://www.myjobthoughts.com/5-linkedin-strategies-to-uncover-the-hidden-job-market/

Using Social Media for your job search

I read an interesting article recently that highlighted how social media platforms can be used to create career opportunities. Despite there being some very credible advice towards using all the tools at your disposal, I feel the jury is still out on using Facebook in this way. Most individuals are keen to maintain privacy around their own job seeker status, therefore disclosing that you are seeking a new opportunity is risky business. There is however, a great deal of value in growing your reputation as a subject matter expert, industry influencer and generally putting your point across through Linkedin groups, forums etc. which takes up significantly less time than attending industry body events for the time-conscious supply chain professional of 2013.....

http://www.bestjobseeker.com/who-what-how-using-social-media-to-help-your-job-search.php